This list was born out of some pretty serious arguments. Was Bruce Springsteen better in 1975 or 1978? When did Kanye hit his stride? Which was more awesome, ?The Joshua Tree? or ?Zoo TV?? The concerts and tours that made the final cut weren?t just huge spectacles, they deepened the power of rock & roll itself ? from Neil Young thrashing out 20-minute jams with Crazy Horse to Beyonc? turning stadium glitz into a personal outpouring. ?You?re almost levitating on the energy from the audience,? says Keith Richards. ?And I miss it when I?m not doing it.? Here are the people who?ve done it best.
- 1967 | WORLDWIDE TOUR | THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
- APRIL 5, 1968 | BOSTON GARDEN | JAMES BROWN
- 1968 | AMERICAN TOUR | BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY
- AIRED DECEMBER 3, 1968 | COMEBACK SPECIAL | ELVIS
- 1968 | FAREWELL TOUR | CREAM
- FEBRUARY 24, 1969 | SAN QUENTIN PRISON | JOHNNY CASH
- 1969 | AMERICAN TOUR | IKE &TINA TURNER
- 1969 | WORLD TOUR | LED ZEPPELIN
- 1970 | AMERICAN TOUR | BLACK SABBATH
- FEBRUARY 14, 1970 | UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS | THE WHO
- 1970 | WINTER AMERICAN TOUR | NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE
- AUGUST 25-30, 1970 | THE TROUBADOUR | ELTON JOHN
- MARCH 5-7, 1971 | FILLMORE WEST | ARETHA FRANKLIN
- SEPTEMBER 10, 1970 | COOK COUNTY JAIL | B.B. KING
- MARCH 11-13, 1971 | FILLMORE EAST | THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
- DECEMBER 28-31, 1971 | ACADEMY OF MUSIC | THE BAND
- 1972 | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR | THE ROLLING STONES
- 1972-73 | ZIGGY STARDUST WORLD TOUR | DAVID BOWIE
- 1973 | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR | VAN MORRISON
- 1975 | CBGB | PATTI SMITH GROUP AND TELEVISION
- JULY 17-18, 1975 | THE LYCEUM THEATRE, LONDON | BOB MARLEY
- 1975-76 | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR | BOB DYLAN
- 1977 | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR | GRATEFUL DEAD
- 1977 | EUROPEAN TOUR | THE RAMONES
- 1977-78 | U.S. TOUR | THE EAGLES
- 1978 | AMERICAN TOUR | BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND
- 1979 | NORTH AMERICAN TOUR | THE CLASH
- 1980-81 | ?THE WALL? TOUR | PINK FLOYD
- 1983 | ?SPEAKING IN TONGUES? TOUR | TALKING HEADS
- JUNE 23, 1984 | GLASTONBURY | FELA KUTI
- 1984-85 | ?PURPLE RAIN? TOUR | PRINCE
- 1986 | ?RAISING HELL? TOUR | RUN-DMC
- 1988-89 | DAMAGED JUSTICE TOUR | METALLICA
- 1990 | BLOND AMBITION TOUR | MADONNA
- 1990 | SIZZLING SUMMER TOUR | PUBLIC ENEMY
- 1991 | EUROPEAN TOUR | SONIC YOUTH AND NIRVANA
- 1992-93 | ZOO TV TOUR | U2
- JUNE 28, 1997 | GLASTONBURY | RADIOHEAD
- 1997 | AMERICAN TOUR | SLEATER-KINNEY
- 1998 | AMERICAN TOUR | PEARL JAM
- DECEMBER 31, 1999 | BIG CYPRESS | PHISH
- FEBRUARY 20, 2004 | THE ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL | BRIAN WILSON
- 2006-07 | ALIVE TOUR | DAFT PUNK
- 2008-13 | WORLDWIDE TOUR | LEONARD COHEN
- OCTOBER 29-30, 2009 | 25TH-ANNIVERSARY CONCERT | ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
- APRIL 2, 2011 | MADISON SQUARE GARDEN | LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
- 2011-12 | ?WATCH THE THRONE? TOUR | JAY Z & KANYE WEST
- 2014-15 | ?ON WITH THE SHOW? TOUR | FLEETWOOD MAC
- 2015 | ?1989? TOUR | TAYLOR SWIFT
- 2016 | FORMATION TOUR | BEYONC?
** The concerts are listed chronologically **
Yes Aretha, Tina and Bey
